Briial
by shielingas
Summary: Turid is the Dragonborn. Everyone's told her that she has to kill Alduin. But that's something she'd rather not do. However, the people around her push her towards her destiny, despite her complaints. However, when she meets Alduin on the Throat of the World, something odd happens. A strange man with a powerful Shout leads to a change which Turid didn't expect. Human!Alduin x OC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim, which is a shame as I'd add an option to side with Alduin, but alas, I do not. The only things I own here is my OC Turid (Briial) and the plot.**

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Briial

Prologue

Kill Alduin. That's what they had drilled into her from the very beginning. She is the Dragonborn. She is supposed to kill Alduin. It is the legend; it is the myth. It is the prophecy carved deeply into Alduin's Wall. She, the Dovahkiin, will kill Alduin.

However, Turid doesn't want to. She doesn't really know what she wants to do, but killing Alduin isn't on her agenda, so she decided, a few months ago, to keep this legendary prophecy on hold for a little while. Most people think that she has guts to put such an important prophecy in the backseat. But, her time has run out. She had joined the Dark Brotherhood in hope that they would provide a way to keep those calling her to fulfil her destiny away. But, like everything does, this had its limits. After she had become the Listener and been fulfilled the contract to kill the Emperor, the Blades, the ones she had been running from, caught onto where she was hiding. She hadn't meant to reveal herself, but when she had to shout her way through the Imperials gathering together to get revenge of their leader, it was impossible not to get noticed. The Blades turned up at the Dawnstar Sanctuary a few weeks later, demanding to speak to Turid. After a few hours and Cicero managing to kill some of Delphine's recruits, the Dovahkiin gave in. The Blades then forced her along the path she was not ready to take. All of this led up to her current situation.

Turid stands upon the Throat of the World, trying not to shake in the Blades armour she's wearing. She holds Dragonbane, the weapon the Blades are forcing her to use against Alduin. Her blonde hair, which she has no incentive to tie up, was blowing around viciously in the wind, strands whipping against her eyes as she tries to push them out of her view. Her Nordic looking face is tinted red from the cold, and her sapphire blue eyes are watering, a little because of the harsh wind, but mostly because of the terror that stands before her.

Alduin. In all of his glory. Scales as black as the Void; eyes as red as the blood that he had spilt countless times. He is a god.

She swears mentally at the Blades for making her do this. She would have sworn aloud, but as scared as she is, she cannot bring up the will to speak. It'll be a wonder if she's be able to produce the Shout she needs to defeat Alduin. At least she has Paarthurnax on her side, without his help she'll probably be paying a visit to the Dread-Lord sooner than she wants to. At this thought, she flicks her eyes to Paarthurnax, who is watching his zeymah, preparing himself for a battle he has long awaited for. Turid lets out a shuddery breath, closing her eyes for a moment. 'I wish I was not here,' she thinks, 'I wish none of this ever happened to me. I pray to all of the Divines, even to Akatosh, the father of the dragon I am being forced to defeat. I don't want to do this. If there was a way to stop this. So I don't have to kill Alduin, like everyone wants me to do.'

The deep, rumbling voice of her foe brings her out of her thoughts, "Bahloki nahkip sillesejoor. My belly is full of the souls of your fellow mortals, Dovahkiin. Die now and await your fate in Sovngarde!" She opens her eyes and gazes upon her foe one final time before they meet in battle.

"Lost funt. You are too late, Alduin! Dovahkiin! Use Dragonrend, if you know it!" Paarthurnax called out. And so the battle begins with those words. But it is not the battle the Dragonborn had thought it was going to be, yet without knowing it she had actually intended it to happen this way. For a Divine had heard her prayer. As Turid readies herself to use Dragonrend upon Alduin, an immense wave of fear pulses through her. Turid panics. There she is facing Alduin, and as she had been told many times, she was going to kill him. But she didn't want to. So, like anyone not wanting to do something, she runs away. She flees down the side of the mountain and hides behind a cluster of rocks, hoping they would give her cover for a few seconds. She quickly peeks over the top of the rock to see Alduin watching her, with an expression that would be recognised as amusement if she knew what Dov expressions looked like. "Ru! Ru nol zey, Dovahkiin! _Run! Run from me, Dovahkiin!_ You cannot escape my wrath," her dark foe calls down to her. Turid ducks down again, staring at the sword that glows purple in her hands. 'I'm going to have to kill Alduin,' she thinks, 'I have no choice.' Suddenly a blast of flame shoots over the top of the rock, close to singeing her. She holds back a scream, which she so desperately wants to let out. Turid stays crouched behind the rock, frozen in fear. No matter what she tells herself, she is not ready to face Alduin.

Turid jumps as a hand is gently placed on her shoulder. She snaps her head around to see a man who looks somewhat like one of the Greybeards, robes and all. Yet she did not recognise his face. He smiles gently at her and although he says nothing, she feels that he is telling her not to worry. She nods at him in reply, hope filling her, despite having no idea how this man would stop Alduin. The man puts his hand on her shoulder again and gives it a reassuring squeeze, before stepping out right into Alduin's path. Turid gasps when he does this and peeks over the top of the rock again. Her jaw drops as the man walked calmly towards Alduin, who is perched on the ridge of the mountain waiting for her to emerge. It takes her a few seconds to realise that Alduin could not see the man walking right in the path of his gaze. However, Turid doesn't have more time to contemplate this as suddenly a shout erupts from the man, creating a blinding white light. Every sound goes silent, the wind seems to stop and the cold seems to dissipate. Soon the light shrinks down to nothing and the Dragonborn releases a breath she didn't know she was holding. The wind returns and so does the cold, but the silence remains. Meekly, Turid peeks over the rock again – Alduin is gone, and so is the man who made him vanish. A sense of calm washes over her and a smile slips onto her lips; the heavy burden she was carrying lifted from her shoulders.

Turid clambers back up over the rocks and onto the snowy clearing on the peak. The first thing she sees is Paarthurnax, lying on his side. She runs up to him, hoping that he is, to put it bluntly, not dead. It does not take long for her to hear his heavy breaths; however, the old Dov is unconscious, probably an effect of the Thu'um the man used. 'That must have been a powerful Shout. Too bad that man disappeared, I would have liked to have known what it was,' the Dragonborn thinks to herself. After checking that Paarthurnax is not injured too badly, she walks over to look out at the view, to think through the events which had just taken place. In a way, she felt underwhelmed, like she had expected more to come from this, even if she hadn't really wanted to do it in the first place. But, now maybe she could actually have some peace, no one bothering her, asking her to be the hero. 'That would be nice,' she thinks, smiling to herself at the pleasant idea.

However, a loud grunt breaks the Dragonborn's silent thoughts. She steps away from her spot looking out at the world and turns around to see the source of the grunt. 'It could be that man who defeated Alduin for me,' she thinks hopefully. "Hello?" she calls, hoping to get a response. Moments after she speaks, she notices someone, who is not the man she was hoping it to be, trying to pull himself up. As she steps closer she notices this man is completely naked, making her gasp and avert her eyes for a second. But she can't help but look back at him. Her eyes gaze over his pale-skinned, statuesque body and up to his face. He has ebony black hair, which is thick and reaches down to the height of his collarbone. She steps closer to him, to see if she can help him, and maybe also to get a look at his face. Yet as she does, a snarl emanated from him, catching her by surprise. He manages to pull himself up, growling at her, "Fos lost hi drehlaan wah zey? Hi lost vorohah zey sahlo! Daal zey wah dii vahzah buld ahst ont, Dovahkiin! _What have you done to me? You have made me weak! Return me to my true form at once, Dragonborn!_ "

Turid does a double take. She recognises that voice. It belongs to the foe she had been facing but a few minutes before. She gawks at him, stammering out his name.

"A..A..Alduin?"

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 **Sup dudes! This is a story I'm gonna be writing while I'm obsessed with Skyrim and also when my inspiration is flowing. That means that updates may be a little random, but heh, seeing as I wrote this in one day, I'm sure I can keep something up. Anyways thanks for taking in interest in this and please follow, favourite and comment, as I would very much appreciate it. Other than that, drem kos voth hi! (Figure out what that means and I'll give you a virtual cookie with the next chapter)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim or anything else from the Elder Scrolls, just my OC Turid and the plot.**

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Briial

Chapter 1

"A..A..Alduin?" I stammer, gawping at my foe, now in a human form. I cannot quite believe it. Perhaps this is all a dream. Perhaps this is a very realistic skooma hallucination. That has to be the explanation for this bizarre happening. But if it was a dream, then how did the blood and sweat that I'd been forced to put into this feel so real.

The human form of Alduin snarls at me, baring his teeth. Because of the utter madness of the situation, I cannot stop myself from erupting into hysterics, almost keeling over from the laughter shaking through me. The human Alduin becomes angrier at this, hurling himself towards me. For a moment, seeing the blind fury in his face, I feel panic hit me and I stop laughing, getting ready to run. But that instantly feeling vanishes as Alduin falls over face first into the snow. 'He probably doesn't know how to walk in this form,' I think, seconds before I notice Alduin's exposed butt cheeks. I throw my head back, howling with laughter. "Daar los ni moorus! _This isn't funny!_ Stop mocking me, Dovahkiin! You did this to me to laugh as I struggle in your joor _mortal_ form, didn't you?!" Alduin barks, trying to push himself up from the snow. I noticed that his cheeks were stained scarlet, either from the cold or embarrassment. But his words cross my mind, silencing me in my laughter, 'You did this to me'. He thinks I did it. It makes sense, as it seemed that as the man approached Alduin before he shouted, it seemed as if Alduin could not see him. Either the man was using some kind of invisibility potion or he knew a special spell. I look back down at him, avoiding my gaze from the exposed body part as to keep me from laughing again. "Alduin, I didn't do this to you," I tell him, trying to keep my voice calm and steady, as to show him that I am telling the truth. I don't know why I'm trying to converse with him. I should just stick Dragonbane through his exposed back and be done with this. 'But I don't want to,' that resilient voice in my head says. 'But I'm an assassin, killing him in this form is just like completing a contract,' the Dark Brotherhood part of my brain says. I listen to the first thought because I'm so used to thinking it. Alduin hisses at me, pulling me from my contemplation, "Hi nok! _You lie!_ You are the only one who could have used such a foul Thu'um."

I am kept from speaking, however, by the mellow voice of my mentor, "Dovahkiin, what is happening here? Alduin, zeymah, how is it that you are in joor form?" I look over towards Paarthurnax, as does Alduin. He has awoken and is looking at both of us with curiosity, for I guess even he has never witnessed something such as this. "Zeymah, _Brother,_ " Alduin growls, "Dovahkiin drey daar wah zu'u. _The Dragonborn did this to me._ Rek lost duraal zu'u. _She has cursed me._ " It surprises me that Alduin does not blame Paarthurnax for this as well, for his hatred for him was very clear. I do not have a chance to continue my thoughts as Paarthurnax directs a question towards me, "Is this true? Did you change Alduin's form into that of a joor?"

I shake my head, knowing that Paarthurnax will listen to what I have to say. "I did not. I do not know a shout capable of doing such things. The man who did this to Alduin certainly knew though," I tell Paarthurnax, hoping that Alduin will listen too so that he does not keep accusing me. It seems that Alduin is listening, as he snaps at me, "Tell me who this man is! So I can make him turn me back and then velaaz nau ok sil _feast on his soul_." I look over to Alduin, who has pulled himself up into a sitting position, which luckily from my angle does not show his, well y'know. I'd rather not think about that, as he is my greatest enemy, as the legends say. I shake my head again, "I do not know who he was. I have never seen him before in my life." Alduin snarls in anger and pounds a fist into the snow. He glares daggers at me, saying something in Dovahzul, which despite my lack of knowledge in the tongue, I know means something along the lines of 'fuck you'. I bite my lip and look over at Alduin, "If I knew who he was then I would have told you." Alduin glowers at me, silently conveying that given the chance, he would try to end my life in any possible way. 'Good to see that hasn't changed,' I think sarcastically; I notice Alduin giving me an odd look, but I think nothing of it.

"Dovahkiin," Paarthurnax interjects mine and Alduin's little spat again, clearly trying to actually do something about the situation. "You saw what this joor looked like. He is only joor, he cannot fly like the Dov, he cannot have travelled far from the strunmah. Tell me what he looks like – I can tovit _search_ from the skies for him." I release a breath, a quick solution to this problem, meaning that I don't have to worry about my dragon-turned-human foe for much longer.

"He looked like a Greybeard," I tell Paarthurnax, "He even wore the robes. But I've never seen him around High Hrothgar before. Perhaps it would be a good idea if I went down to see if he is there or to ask Arengir if he's ever seen him."

Alduin looks between us, a brooding expression marked on his face. It is clear that he is not used to others having more power than him, especially the brother who betrayed him and the mortal who is prophesied to end him. As I look over at him, a sense of pity tugs at me, bringing forth the thought, 'It must be will-breaking to be thrust from being god-like to being in such a weak condition.' Alduin gives me another odd look, causing me to throw the thought from my mind. Despite hating my time with the Blades, their ideals seem to have rubbed off on me a little – I should not pity my enemy. Just then, a dark smile spreads across his face. "You think it is wise to leave dovah _I_ , Alduin, alone?" He tries to stand up, wobbling unsteadily on his feet. Yet he cannot balance himself well enough, as he falls over onto his hands and knees. I smirk, calling to him in a teasing tone, "Really? You can't even walk. Maybe I will consider your words when you stop tumbling around like an infant." I obviously struck a chord, as Alduin growls at me, sounding more like the beast that he was.

"The Dovahkiin is right, zeymah. You are weak. But still, I will wait here for the Dovahkiin to return, in case something were to happen," Paarthurnax tells us. Alduin smirks at me, knowing that he's got the reaction he wanted from us. I ignore him, so he cannot try to gloat, turning to look at Paarthurnax. "Go now, Dovahkiin," he guides me simply. I nod, pivoting on my heel and heading down the mountain path.

As I walk away, however, a sharp ache in my temples appears. At first, it just seems like a simple headache, but the further I walk, the more painful it becomes. I stop, holding my hands to my head, though I know that won't help at all. I want to just sit down and wait out the pain, but I tell myself to keep walking – I have health potions in my pack back at High Hrothgar which will sort it out. I push forward, grinding my teeth to stop myself from screaming. But someone else screams. It takes me a few seconds to realise that it has to be Alduin. Either Paarthurnax has decided to gut Alduin alive or there was more to that man's shout that meets the eye. I hope it's the former, though the chances of that happening are as likely as Cicero becoming sane. At that point a voice enters my mind, it sounds as if it is spoken aloud, but I know it's inside my head. It takes me a few seconds to focus on the words, but when I do, I realise they are not in Cyrodilic but in the language used in Shouts, Dovahzul. The words are being spoken quickly, like the person thinking them is panicked or calling for help. 'Alduin,' I realise quickly. His words stop instantly, leaving a welcoming silence in my head.

'Dovahkiin?' I jump a little, hearing Alduin's deep voice as I've heard it so many times before, but inside my head. It sends chills down my spine. 'Yes,' I push the word forward in my brain, in a non-literal sense, hoping that it will work. It is strange how I am able to do it without thought, but then when I actually think about it, I'm not confident in what to do.

'My head is in pain, do you feel this too?' The calmness in his voice surprises me; I expected him to roar at me inside my head and deafen me with silent words. Shaking my head to myself, I again push forward the answer in my head, 'Yes.' A few seconds later, 'Come back to the peak. If we are closer to each other, then this pain might cease.'

'Oh lovely,' I think unconsciously, as I realise I was right in that the Shout did more than just turn Alduin into a human.

'I fail to see how you find this situation endearing,' Alduin's confused tone reverberates around my head. I sigh as I turn around to start walking back up the mountain. 'I was being sarcastic,' I tell him, annoyed that he cannot understand the simple concept of sarcasm. Silence follows my reply; it seems Alduin is not going to reply. Good, I'm finding this connection to be a little alarming.

I walk back up the mountain path, noticing that as I get closer to Alduin, the pain lessens. As I step into the view of the Dov and his now human brother, Paarthurnax turns towards me, looking intrigued. "Dovahkiin. Alduin informed me of your situation. Is it true?" he asks.

I nod, "Yes, it is." I walk up to stand near to Alduin, who is has managed to stand up now. The pain is now completely gone as if it were never there. Alduin remains silent at what I say but is glaring daggers at me. 'I didn't ask for this either,' I think, knowing Alduin will hear it. I should have expected what happens seconds later – Alduin lurches forwards, yelling at the top of his voice, "Saag mii nii! Hi los nokin! Hi drey daar wah zey ful tol hi vust thesk um voth dii hah ahrk wahl zey bo vorohah! _Admit it! You are lying! You did this to me so that you could mess around with my mind and make me go insane!_ " Even though I don't understand what he is saying, I can guess what he's yelling at me for. Maybe I shouldn't have done that.

"Dovahkiin, I think it wise that you speak aloud, for it would benefit us all," he advises, giving me a look conveying that I shouldn't have done that. I hang my head, letting my blonde, wavy locks fall in front of my eyes. Paarthurnax continues, "It seems that you are bound to each other. If one of you strays too far from the other, then both of you will feel pain." I say nothing in response, letting Paarthurnax speak. Clearly, if I try to talk all I will do is cause friction. "It appears there is more to this than meets the eye. Finding the man who did this has become even direr. I will take to the skies to seek him, while you, Dovahkiin, will take Alduin down to High Hrothgar to see if the man is there." Paarthurnax pauses for a second, before awkwardly (if one could describe Paarthurnax as being awkward) continuing, "And perhaps get my brother some of the clothes that you mortals wear." As soon as he finishes speaking, Paarthurnax launches himself into the air and flies off.

I look over at Alduin – I have not forgotten his nakedness, but I was trying to evade my eyes from his exposed form as much as possible. It did not become apparent to me that Paarthurnax is uncomfortable around his brother when he is bare, as Alduin is in a mortal form. But, Paarthurnax understands the mortal idea of nakedness, so he probably feels embarrassed seeing his brother like this. I mentally face palm at my ignorance. Alduin stares at me for a second, as if waiting for me to do something. "I need help to walk, idiot. You said so yourself, I'm like an infant!" Alduin snaps. I raise my eyebrows, honestly surprised that the World Eater, my prophesied foe, is asking me to help him. I thought he'd be so stubborn that he'd slide down the side of the mountain on his bare buttocks than to be helped by me. But apparently Alduin does have some common sense, which is good, as I don't want to be stuck with an obstinate jackass for the entire time we are stuck like this. I nod, walking over to him, putting out my hand for him to take. He hesitates for a second before he reaches out for it with his own larger hand, which envelops round my own and grips tightly. His hand is as warm as the bricks of a fireplace after the flames have been reduced to embers, the bricks still giving out a pleasant heat conserved from the fire when it was burning bright. It surprises me how warm it is, as we are on the Throat of the World and being up here in nothing but one's skin would surely freeze someone to death in a matter of minutes. Yet, he is Alduin, ex-dragon. He probably kept his draconic warmth, I guess. That is a good sign, means that there is a chance to get him back to his original form, and the sooner we do that the better.

I pull Alduin up; with quite a bit of effort on my part because of course, the World Eater is a heavy bastard. In this moment, I can't help but look down towards his groin area. I know it's wrong, but they do say that the hero always gets a little peek. His skin is so pale it looks like his manhood made of pure ivory. His length is large, very large. I've never seen a man's rod that long before. It would be quite terrifying to try to get him inside of me, yet it still seems quite appealing. I mean, I am the Dragonborn, I'm totally up for the challenge… I mentally slap myself – I cannot and should not be thinking that. I'm supposed to kill Alduin, not fuck him. And I'm pretty sure that if I even hinted at it with him, he'd snap my neck in seconds. I flick my eyes up to Alduin's face, hoping to not be caught looking. But my blue eyes meet his crimson ones. They are glistening and he has a smirk dragged across his dark lips. I want to look away from him. I don't. I stare right at his smug face. Right up close I can see that his milky skin is completely clear of any marks. He has wide defined cheekbones and a strong jawline. He appears cleanly shaven and his black eyebrows are smooth but angled, seeming like they have been drawn on with charcoal. His lips are thin, but his upper lip looks like two perfect peaks and his lower lip looks like a gently sloping valley. "Look at me all you like, Dovahkiin, but it is not going to help our situation in any way," Alduin says, cutting me from staring at him. I sigh, knowing that he's right and I was stupid of me to stare at him anyway. I pull his arm further over my shoulder and face forward.

"Are you ready to walk? It's probably the same as walking as a dragon, but without wings to support you, you have me." I tell him.

He nods, taking a step forward as I do, though he is a little slower than I am. We are able to move a few metres in a few minutes, which annoys me a little, but if I am to be stuck with this bastard, then I have to just bear with it and help him. As we slowly make steps down the mountain, my mind turns to the question, 'How are we going to explain _this_ to the Greybeards?'

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 **And here is the first chapters. It's in 1st person as I like to write the prologue and epilogue in 3rd person and the main parts of the story in 1st. Sorry this chapter wasn't up that quickly, I could have got it done sooner, but I got distracted (i.e. I did the 'A Night To Remember' quest and holy fuck Sanguine is hot, so I have been sorta trying out ideas for a small Sanguine x OC fanfic which I will write alongside this, meaning you might get to see the OC I've got for that fic in the next few chapters, as there's nothing better than crossing over two fanfics). Anyway, thank you for reading this, even if I'm not a master at updating quickly. Please follow, favourite and comment (thank you to all the darlings who did all of those, you are awesome!). And also dudes, you let me down by not finding out what I said in Dovahzul... At least I get to keep all the virtual cookies to myself, though they don't do much as they are virtual. With nothing else to say, drem kos voth hi!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim or anything else from the Elder Scrolls, just my OC Turid and the plot.**

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Briial

Chapter 2

"I will not put that on!"

The undergarments which I'd found for Alduin to wear are thrown back at me. I pluck them from the air and then hold them out again. "You will put them on. And I am not putting them on for you." I bark at the dragon turned human having a temper tantrum.

Alduin sits on the bed, with his arms folded. He's glowering at me and the undergarments that I found for him to wear. I can't wait until he sees the over garments I have for him. I walk over to the World Eater, whose expression sours even more as I get closer. "You can't be walking around without any clothes on. While you're stuck in a mortal body then you're gonna have to follow mortal customs. And that means putting these on." I tell him, holding them out.

Alduin turns his head, looking away so that he's not looking at the undergarments. "Don't act like a stubborn child, Alduin." I scold him. He growls and snatches the undergarments from my hand. Finally. "Remember what I said, both legs through the large hole and then one leg through one small hole each," I tell him; I feel like he is a child at the moment, because of his ignorance of the things that seem so easy for me. Alduin mutters something in Dovahzul under his breath, following my instructions. Even still, I expect him to mess it up. He doesn't. Once he's pulled the undergarments on, he looks up at me, an annoyed expression on his face. I smirk, pulling the tunic, trousers, waistcoat and shoes that I got for him out of the dresser. "Now put on these."

"What?! Are you crazy woman?! I'm not putting anything else on." He crosses his arms again and looks away.

"Just put them on, Alduin." I sigh, handing them over to him. He glares at me but still takes them, albeit unhappy about it. Leaving him to his grumbling, I walk to stand by the window. The pinky blue colours of the sky show that it is dawn. I was so caught up in what was happening, that I did not realise that the night has passed. I sigh, running my hand along the cool stone of the window. 'Why is this happening?' I think absent mindedly, 'It shouldn't be happening.'

"But it is. I have no choice about it. I'm reliant upon you, you idiotic fool, to help me. And why are you even helping me anyway?!" Alduin spits, standing by the bed, clothed now, with his arms thrown up in the air. His expression is like a smouldering flame, eyes holding a burning. I forgot he could read my thoughts, again. I tell myself to remember before I answer him: "At first, because I didn't know what else to do. Now, because I have no other choice. I don't know if you've forgotten, but we are stuck together."

"You could kill me."

"I thought about it, but no, I wouldn't want to kill you like this."

"Why?" His voice is the breath of a frost dragon, ice cutting through my skin and reaching down into my very core. I shake my head, looking over to him, "I don't know." He snorts haughtily, crossing his arms. I look away, a feeling of shame spreading through me. I don't think I should be feeling shameful, but I am. I was tasked by the Blades to kill Alduin and here I am, helping him. I should kill him. But I can't. I just can't.

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I wish I'd left Alduin in the spare room, even though it isn't possible.

"What do you mean you don't know who he is?!"

Arngeir and the other Greybeards take a step away as Alduin roars at them. They watch him with wary eyes, looking ready to Shout him to Oblivion if he tries to attack them. He seems like he will. As he cannot walk so well, I am holding his arm to keep him from toppling over. And because of this, I can feel how tense his muscles are, as taut as tightly coiled rope. I can turn my head and see his furious expression, he looks even angrier than he has been before. I'm close enough to see a vein bulging on his neck. Despite his anger being as potent as when he was the tremendous, black-scaled beast, these features tell me that he definitely is mortal now, that he can no longer rip people to pieces in a matter of seconds. Still, though, he can appear gods damn scary. Part of me thinks I should try to calm him down, but another part of me tells me that if I try to, then I will only make the situation worse.

"W..we're sorry. W..we will try to help you in any way we can." Arngeir stutters.

This is where I can intervene. "Thank you, master Arngeir. We are grateful for your help. It is worrying that you don't know who the man is, but with your help, we should be able to sort this out sooner." I tell them, trying to sound polite. But politeness isn't my forte and so I sound like a whore finding out that she has to fuck an old, fat guy, trying to sound excited, but clearly is loathing her life choices.

The Greybeards nod at my response, yet I can feel Alduin's heated glare turn onto me. 'I'm just trying to help.' I think. I can feel Alduin tense even more, but he doesn't say anything. At least he is keeping his anger somewhat tamed.

"We will try to summon this man but if he does not come, then it is beyond our power," Arngir tells us, causing Alduin to writhe in my grasp. The Greybeards notice and shuffle about uncomfortably; Arngir tries to appease the dragon in a human body, "We can still help determine if the World Eater has retained his ability to Shout if finding this man bears fruitless." Only that seems to enrage him more, "Idiotic joor! I am Alduin! I will always be able to use my Voice." He snaps his gaze towards me, "You do not think the same do you, Dovahkiin?" I am surprised that his angry tone is laced with worry; he is asking me for reassurance. "They could be right, by becoming human that might have affected your ability to Shout," I say aloud, but then continuing through the connection of our minds, 'But I have full confidence that you can still Shout, it would just be wrong for you not to be able.' Alduin gives me a strange look, probably wondering why I swapped into talking through the connection; it is because I didn't want the Greybeards to hear me because I doubt they would like me being so confident in the one supposed to be my enemy. "Can we test it now?" Alduin says, the anger disappearing from his voice, being replaced with anxiousness. The Greybeards nod, "If you want to."

But I feel the urge to intervene, my subconscious telling me that we should wait, "No." Alduin's anger comes back like the crack of a whip, he pulls free from my grasp and stumbles away a few feet, his glare on me feeling like molten iron that is ready to be poured into a mould. "We should rest. It has been an extremely eventful day and everyone is tired. If we try this now, then Alduin might not do the best he can. We should rest so that he is stronger." I say to the Greybeards; they nod at my words, "Yes, Dragonborn, you are right. I agree that we all need some rest." Arngir says as they all shuffle off towards their quarters, escaping from the beast that I'm going to have to deal with.

"Why did you say that?" Alduin snaps at me.

I sigh, "As I said, we need to rest. I'm exhausted, I woke up this morning thinking that by the end of today either you or I would be dead. That was what was supposed to happen. But it didn't. And now we're in a mess that we could have never predicted. A lot has happened today, we need to rest, I need to rest, you probably need to rest because turning from being the fucking World Eater to being a weak mortal must be very tiring." My tone sounds exasperated and tired, fitting along with my words.

Alduin snarls, his tone like the loud crackling of a fire, "You're just saying that. You don't want me to be able to Shout, so you're putting it off." His antagonising words start to get to me, making me want to Shout him across the room. But I keep my calm. Sort of. "Perhaps, then, if you are so worried about your ability to Shout, then Shout at me. Shout at me right now!"

Alduin laughs, and not in a good way. He doesn't even give any warning, though there wasn't really need for it anyway. "Fus Ro Dah!" The force of his voice hurls me backwards, sending me into the wall. I wince a little at the sudden pain, sliding down to the floor. I look up at Alduin, expecting to see him gloating. But he is also sitting on the floor breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. I laugh aloud, we should have really expected this in the first place, "Now you understand what it feels like when I Shout." Alduin looks up at me, I expect him to be pissed off, but instead, he says, with a smirk on his lips, "It must be awful to be you then." I cannot help but laugh more, shaking with laughter, but part of me says 'Yes, it is awful being me.' I don't notice Alduin's expression change for a second. I look up at him, just as his expression changes back to a slight smile. "Alduin," I say, "Are you satisfied that you know you can Shout? Can I go get some sleep now?" My question is half joking, half serious, as I really am quite tired.

* * *

I lay awake, under the warm furs. There are two reasons why I don't sleep. One is because I can't stop thinking about when Alduin shouted at me today. The way we laughed with each other, how we suddenly got on so well in that moment, even though we are supposed to be enemies and mere moments before the dragon turned man was fuming at me. It is confusing, I think, even more so than everything else. We were suddenly acting like we had been friends for years in those moments. The only reason I can think for it is this connection between us: me and my enemy. It could be twisting its way through our subconscious mind, making us share those moments. That thought doesn't help ease my concerns at all.

The other is because of Alduin, the stupid bastard, refused to sleep on the bed, saying that he wouldn't sleep on anything made by mortals. So he's sleeping on the cold stone floor with only the clothes I've given him to keep him warm. He's not shivering and seems perfectly fine, most likely that his draconic blood which was keeping him warm upon the peak earlier, but my mortal nature is telling me that if I don't give him something warm, he's going to freeze to death. And I am not going to let that happen after everything that happened today. Sighing, I peel the furs away from me and climb out of bed. The cold hits me, despite being a Nord, it still makes me shiver as we are upon the tallest mountain in Skyrim. I take one of the pelts and walk over to where Alduin lies. He is curled up in a fetal position, probably similar to how he slept before. He is still, appearing to be asleep, so I kneel down beside him and go to lay the fur cover over him. But as I go to do so, I hear his low voice mumble quietly, "What are you doing, Dovahkiin?"

I stop for a moment; part of me wants to bolt back to bed and pretend I wasn't about to help him, but part of me says to continue. I do the latter, lifting up the pelt and gently laying it over him. "I'm making sure you don't catch your death from the cold." I whisper as I do so.

"Fine," he grumbles, "Just don't disturb me again. I was about to fall asleep then and you woke me up." I shake my head, slipping back into my bed. At least he actually took it.

It still takes me a while to drift off but eventually, I am pulled into the darkness of sleep, to exhausted to stay awake. At least I would be free of my problems as I slept. Or so I hope.

* * *

I am on the Throat of the World. Alduin is there too, in his human form, standing beside me. He is wearing ebony armour; I am too. I'm close enough to him to look at his face. It's changed. His skin is less pale like has been out in the sun for many days. His hair is longer, much longer and seems to have taken a side shave style - it suits him. There is light stubble on his chin; I spot a small scabbed nick where he must have cut himself a little. His face is set in a grim expression, like a strong Sabercat ready to pounce. He appears more like a Nord warrior than what I know him to be. His eyes gently gaze to mine and a small, tight smile appears on his face. He opens his mouth to speak, his lips forming words but I hear nothing. Nothing at all.

But I don't panic. This doesn't alarm me. I feel sure in myself as if I had made the right decision. Alduin continues talking, but his words are voiceless. I turn to look around us, there is no one here but us. A hand is placed on my cheek, pulling my eyes back to him. He shakes his head, speaking silently again. He pulls me against my chest, which I don't protest to and holds me in his arms. Then I hear the words he speaks, "Briial. Briial. Turid. Dovahkiin. Dovahkiin. Dovahkiin!"

* * *

I bolt upright, so fast that I smack my head right into something, causing it to jolt back and groan. I rub my head, letting my eyes adjust to the light.

Sitting on the edge of the bed is Alduin holding his forehead, "Dovahkiin, do you always wake up in such a manner? This weak mortal body that I am in feels pain because of it."

It takes me a second to realise that Alduin was the one I hit with such force. And the only way I would have hit him as I did would be because he was leaning over me. I suddenly am overcome with nervousness as I ask, "Alduin, what were you doing leaning over me as I slept?"

He looks at me as if I am stupid. "You were having some sort of fit. Your whole body was shaking uncontrollably. I thought that I better try to wake you up." My brow creases in confusion, I've never had a fit before, at least I don't think so anyway. He could be lying, but I doubt it, there's probably no other reason why he would have been leaning over me. I nod slowly, trying to think things through, trying to ignore Alduin's heavy weight on the edge of the bed. I'm confused about what I woke up to and also the vivid dream I had just seen. I couldn't forget that dream even if I tried, it was so odd if I think about it now, but when it was happening it felt so... normal? I'm not sure. I look up at Alduin, whose expression is blank. He looks straight at me, but he seems miles away in thought. Shaking my head, I sigh, mumbling, "Thank you, Alduin," though I'm not sure I really mean it.

* * *

 **And there is chapter 2. It's not as long as the previous chapter and the scenes are shorter but I still hope that you enjoyed it. It is a bit of a filler chapter to smoothly close up what happened before and to set up what is going to happen next chapter.** **Sorry it been a while, I've been quite busy with summer stuff, like holidays and going out places. I will try to get the next chapter up sooner.** **Please follow, favourite, and review! ****Thank you to all of those who reviewed, it is very much appreciated and inspires me to write more. Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim or anything else from the Elder Scrolls, just my OC Turid and the plot.**

* * *

Briial

Chapter 3

"We didn't expect this man to appear quickly, we're in no rush."

I find myself in the same situation as yesterday, but now I am beginning to understand Alduin's anger. The man has not turned up yet and the Greybeards are making excuses. The man couldn't have gotten far from the mountain and so, if he were smart, he would have gotten back up here by now. Unless he got eaten by a stray frost troll, then he should be here. Alduin is of the same mind as he barks from beside me, "Don't make petty excuses."

I nod my head, visually showing the Greybeards that I support my enemy. They pale and give worried looks to each other - they don't say anything but it's easy to tell that my siding with the World Eater has shaken them up. Arngeir speaks up, "There's not much we can do but wait."

I'm not entirely sure why, maybe my feelings are also affected by Alduin too, but Arngeir's words make me snap. "Are you kidding me?! You could be doing something!" I yell, my voice cutting like a hot knife through ice. "Dragonborn..." Arngeir tries to stop me, but in my sudden fury, it makes me even more pissed off. "Don't 'Dragonborn' me! Every time something goes wrong, it's 'Dragonborn do this' or 'Dragonborn do that'. I never get a break! I always have to do what you want me to do. Even in the Dark Brotherhood, it was 'Listener, go kill that guy'. Can somebody just do something for me?!" I let out a large sigh as I finish my rant, the room now silent. Even Alduin seems surprised. The Greybeards stand there, doing nothing. 'Fuck this,' I think to myself, 'We need to find that damn man'.

Suddenly Alduin's voice calmly breaks the silence, though I can feel the smugness radiating from him. He's up to something. "If you, idiots, aren't going to do anything, then we're wasting our time here. We're going to go find someone who can help us."

Then the hulking man-dragon grabs me by the wrist and drags me back to our quarters.

I sit down on the bed, eyes fixed on Alduin. "So, what are we going to do?" I ask, slightly befuddled. Alduin rolls his eyes - he seems to have grasped that mortal concept quickly - and leans against the dresser. "As I said to them, we're going to find someone who can help us."

It's my turn to roll my eyes, "Who would be able to help us? The best help we have is here, with Paarthurnax."

"My brother may seem smart, but he doesn't know all the knowledge in the world."

I raise my eyebrows at him, "And who is this supreme master of knowledge then?"

Alduin would grin, "My dragon priests might have an idea."

A nervous expression crosses my face, as I quietly stutter out, "I might have..."

Alduin notices my change in demeanour and narrows his eyes at me, speaking in a sharp tone, "Spit it out."

"I might have killed some of them. I mean, it wasn't my fault. They kinda forced me to kill them when they tried to kill me." I blurt out quickly.

There is a slight expression of anger on Alduin's face, though he hasn't exploded like I thought he would. Instead, he seems to brush it off, "Then we talk to the ones who are still alive."

I sigh, still a little tense, "How are we going to do that? They'll probably try to kill us, as they'll think you're just another mortal."

The expression of anger on Alduin's face intensifies, he says through clenched teeth, "They'll be able to tell it's me."

I don't want to push it, but I don't want to get stuck in a situation which leads to certain death, so I try to calmly explain, "You look like a Nord if you haven't noticed. As you look like a Nord, they'll try to kill you. And from my experiences, they don't give you long enough to talk to them before they try to destroy you."

Alduin sighs and remains silent, though conveying his utter hatred for this situation. Feeling like I'm doing quite well, I continue, "And, you're not used to this body yet. I'm surprised at how fast you've learnt to walk, but you probably won't be able to protect or look after yourself in the wilderness."

Alduin raises his head up at my second comment and looks at me, his eyes focused right on my face. I meet my eyes with his and look into his deep red orbs. "Teach me," he says, his voice serious. I gape at him, I hadn't expected him to say that - I'd thought he'd deny his weaknesses and be a stubborn bastard about it. Conceding quickly, I nod with a sigh, "Alright..."

He grins as if I'm a rabbit caught in his trap. I ignore him, it's best not to let him irritate me. But of course, he still manages to do that. He steps closer, "Shall we leave then?"

I nod, turning around to face the dresser, where my bag and armour lie. Instead of picking up the Blades armour, I open the dresser and take out my Dark Brotherhood armour - I couldn't part with it even after being dragged into this saving the world business. I freeze as Alduin moves right behind me, looking over my shoulder, asking in his rumbling voice, "What's that?"

"My armour," I say dryly, shifting to the side to move away from him, sitting down on the bed. He turns to face me, with inquisitive eyes. I sigh, he doesn't get that I want to put it on. "Turn around," I say bluntly.

Alduin furrows his brow, retorting, "Why would I do that?"

'Ugh, why is he so thick headed?!' I mentally moan, instantly regretting it. Alduin glares at me, stepping closer. "Hi fend kos zokoraav fod hi lorot (You should be wary when you think). Zu'u uld ni kos ol mul nu, Dovahkiin, nuz Zu'u vust tul gunaar hi. (I might not be as strong now, Dragonborn, but I could still crush you)."

"Maybe as an exchange for teaching you how to fight, Alduin, you can teach me dovahzul, because I have no idea what you just said." I breathe out with an exasperated sigh, being somewhat sarcastic as I have no real interest in learning it.

"Fine," he huffs, "it agitates me that you cannot speak it."

I go to protest but don't as he turns around and goes to stand by the window. Finally. I quickly take the opportunity to change into my armour, hoping that Alduin doesn't look over as I do.

The armour fits snugly, like it always used to, probably because I always wore it so much and I'm happy it hasn't fallen out of shape. The only thing missing is my weapons, which I left in the Dawnstar Sanctuary all that while ago. Well, I know where we're heading first. I stand up and move back to the dresser, sorting through my stuff.

I pick up Dragonbane and attach it to my belt when I hear a snarl from Alduin. I turn my head to look at him; he's tensed up and is staring at me angrily, as per usual. "You are not using that..." he spits at me in a dark tone.

I shake my head and continue finishing off getting my stuff together. I avoid answering him, instead saying, "We'll walk down to Riverwood today and stop there. We might run into someone who we can buy you some armour from."

Alduin huffs and grumbles, "Mortals are so fleshy and weak; this body is stupid, it cannot protect itself."

I look over my shoulder at him, glaring, "That's why I want to buy you armour, you nitwit."

Alduin flares up, "I don't know what a nitwit is, but it sounds insulting!" He goes off to speak in a flurry of dovahzul, stepping closer, trying to intimidate me. By this point, I've had enough. I turn away from him, so he tries to grab my shoulder. I let him, as I pull my arm back and then punch him square in the nose. It wasn't that hard of a hit, so it surprises me that he topples back and falls over into the wall. He looks at me in shock, eyes wide. His mouth bobs up and down as if trying to say something, but the words are not forming on his lips.

I grin, finishing off with, "You're not as big and mighty as you think, World-Eater." That should do it.

Alduin walks behind me, holding a cloth filled with snow to his nose. It turns out I had hit him hard enough for a red bruise to form on the bridge of his nose, just under his eyes. I'd managed to successfully lie to the Greybeards, who would have probably thrown me out if they found out I'd violated their peace by punching the annoying bastard. I'd told them he tripped and fell face first, causing the bruise. It wasn't completely a lie, he did fall over.

The Greybeards let us go without much fuss. They only pulled me to the side, telling me to be careful, that the dragon might try to trick me and kill me at any given chance. I know that already; I can handle myself. Especially against someone who doesn't know how to use their body properly.

As we walk down the stairs, snow begins to drift down from the heavens. Being a Nord, I do not find the weather too cold, but compared to Alduin, I seem like I am freezing. He walks down the stairs in the thin clothes which I gave him yesterday, not bothered at all by the cold. It makes the pilgrims on the stairs look, with curious eyes, maybe because of his thin clothes, maybe just because as a man, he does not entirely look like a normal man would. He does not like the stares, for all his self-centeredness seems to have disappeared - he whispers to me, "I do not like the mortals staring at this body that I am in." I turn to look back at him, with an arched brow, "Why?"

He mutters quickly, "Because they look at me differently. When I was not in this body, they looked at me with terror and awe. Now it is something else, that they see me as the same as themselves and don't view me in that way."

Well, there comes back his ego. "I can't help that," I say, "but try not to worry about it. They will mean you no harm. Usually."

He grunts, "Really? What about that dangerous world you were telling me about?"

I sigh, shaking my head, "A bandit won't stare at you if they see you - they'll just attack, not caring who you are. As with most dangerous things in Skyrim."

Alduin mumbles, "That makes it worse."

Again, I sigh, a little fed up with Alduin's ego and would power on down the stairs. I do not notice Alduin stop. I only realise when the pain begins to enter my head, signalling that we are not close. I look back, not seeing the man-dragon behind me. I turn back and walk up the stairs until I find Alduin on the stairs. I double-take when I see that he is crying. He looks up at me, with red eyes, "I can't do this."

"What?" I ask, rather brashly.

"I can't live in this mortal body. It is not what I'm supposed to be."

I would bite my lip, "I'm trying to sort out this mess, Alduin, but I cannot do that if you don't come with me."

He looks at me with a side glance, "What if you cannot fix this, and we are stuck together."

"I will not believe that. One of the things about being mortal is that there are many things that could go wrong. This is a special case, I grant you, but we can approach it the same way. Believe that there is a cure for this, and then there is more chance of us finding it."

He looks up at me, confused, "How could belief do that?"

"Belief is a powerful thing," I say, "But also, remember the facts that are true about the world you are in too."

He cocks his head.

"I am a mortal with a dragon soul, which is why I am the Dovahkiin. You are now a dragon in a mortal body - you too are a dragon soul trapped in a mortal body."

He'd look at me, wiping his eyes, "Yes. I suppose I am."

"That will be a great deal of help. But, also you have things to learn. That is not too hard either. It will be alright." I offer my hand out to the World Eater. After a moment he takes it, and I help him stand up again. His hands are warm, as I noticed before about him. It is a moment before I take my hand away, wondering why both our hands lingered with each other so that we stood holding hands. I also begin to wonder, why did I provide moral support for him? I did not need to, really. But I did. I made the dragon feel better. There is something odd between me and Alduin, I realise, and I'm not sure what it is.

* * *

 **I am so sorry this took so long to update. I've been busy with my A levels and sorting out where I'm going to uni. I've also been involved in a roleplaying group on the MMORPG LOTRO (and we also RP on ESO too), where I've been writing a storyline for the group to follow and doing a lot of RP there, as well as writing things about the characters that I have RPed. If you play either of those games, you can hit me up on LOTRO as Mornenion or Gaeded on the Laurelin server and on ESO I am shielingas, on the EU server, though I do have chars on the NA server as well. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, though it was long overdue. And thank you to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed during my absence - it did help me to write the chapter. Thank you are reading!**


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